Thermopneumatic safety-valve



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S. H. VVHITAKER AND EZRA COPE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

THERMOPNEUMATIC SAFETY-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,401, dated May 26, 1857.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, S. H. IVHITAKER and EZRA Corn, of Cincinnati, inthe county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new andImproved Self-Acting Air- Valve for Steam-Heating Apparatus; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompany ingdrawing, forming part of this specifica tion, said drawing representinga vertical central section of the valve.

All properly constructed steam heating apparatus have, on everyradiator, what is termed an air valve, to admit air thereinto, toprevent collapse when the steam condenses in consequence of the coolingof the radiator by reason of the tire going out or the radiator beingshut off from the boiler; such valve requiring to be closed again toprevent the escape of steam when the radiator is again filled withsteam.

This invention consists in an expanding valve, composed of a chamberwhose top is composed of a flexible diaphragm filled with bees-wax orother fusible substance that is expansible by heat and that solidiies atat- `mospheric temperatures; said valve being so applied with itsflexible diaphragm -in contiguity with the mout-h of the airescapepassage of the radiator, that when the radiator cools, the contractionand solidication of the bees-wax or other substance in the chamber drawsdown the diaphragm away from the mouth of the air passage and allows airto enter the radiator, but that when steam is let into the radiator,after it has expelled the air therefrom, the melting and expansion ofthe bees-wax or other substance in the chamber forces the diaphragmagainst the mouth of the escape passage and closes it.

To enable others to make and use our invent-ion, we will proceed todescribe its construction and operation.

A, is the chamber containing bees-wax, and a, is the flexible diaphragmforming the top thereof, made of copper or other flexible met-al.

B is the air escape passage, made in the form of an inverted elbow, theupper part of which is attached by a screw b, to the radiator, and thelower part is made with a screw flanch d, to which the chamber A, isscrewed; and within this flanch surrounding the mouth e, of the passageB, there is a small air chamber C, in which there is an` opening c,communicating with the atmosphere.

Then the bees-wax in the chamber A, is melted by the heat of the steam,the diaphragm is raised by the expansion thereof to the position shownin dotted outline, closing the passage B, and preventing the escape ofsteam; but when the radiator cools by the steam being shutoff or thetire going down, and the bees-wax in consequence cools and contracts,the latter subsides to the bottom of the chamber A, by gravitation, and,by its cohesive attraction, draws down the diaphragm, as shown in boldoutline, and opens the passagelB, for the admission of air to theradiator through the opening c, and chamber C, and leaves the saidpassage open till the steam has again entered the radiator, and expelledthe air through the passage B, chamber C, and opening c, after ,y

which it heats and melts the bees-wax, by the expansion of which thediaphragm is again raised and the passage closed.

The chamber A is represented in the drawing with a thin bottom, and anair passage below it; but this is not essential, as the bottom may besolid.

A piston may be substituted as the equivalent of the diaphragm; but weconsider the diaphragm preferable.

Ie do not claim, generally, the operation of an air-valve forsteam-heating apparatus by the expansion of fluid bodies by heat; as weare aware that the thermo expansive properties of quiclsilver, air, andother fluid bodies have been employed for this purpose with partialsuccess. Neither do we claim the use of bees-wax or other substance ofsimilar character for the purposes described. But

That we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

The within-described self-acting air valve,

consisting of a chamber Whose top is comheat, gravitation, and cohesiveattraction, as posed of a flexible diaphragm, or its equivahereinspecified. 1

lent, filled With bees-Wax or other fusible S' H WHITAKER.

substance that solidifies at atmos heric tem- 5 peratures, but isleXpansible by hegt, and that EZRA COPE' will act upon the diaphragm toopen and Vitnesses:

close the passage through the combined J. B. GREEN, l

agencies of expansion and contraction by H. R. BALDRIDGE.

